About 1,500 Success Academy students from 14 public charter schools in the Bronx and Harlem participate in a “Slam the Exam Pep Rally,” at the Washington Heights Armory. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

NEW YORK–The sound of war cries that resembled Spartan warriors resounded from the Washington Heights Armory gymnasium on April 12th. The battle cries came from the eager lungs of young scholars, charging towards their epic conquring of upcoming math and reading assessments were not any less epic.

About 1,500 Success Academy students from 14 public charter schools in the Bronx and Harlem participate in a “Slam the Exam Pep Rally,” at the Washington Heights Armory, featuring a “flash mob” dance organized by teachers, in preparation for taking the state’s new Common Core standards math and reading exams, which started this week.

The exams have been modified to become more rigorous and challenging.

“Our scholars and their families have made an enormous commitment to educational excellence,” stated

Jim Manly, Principal of Success Academy of Harlem in a press release.

The schools are consistent high-rankers in math and reading, with scores of 97 percent and 88 percent respectively.